Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency has arrested a 50-year-old widow who attempted to smuggle cocaine concealed as a pregnancy, in one of several nationwide raids that uncovered more than 75,000 kilograms of drugs.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said Mrs Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, a fashion designer, was detained at a Lagos bus terminal on Friday while trying to board a vehicle to Abuja. Officers discovered 1.3 kilogrammes of cocaine strapped to her body and later found 200 grammes of cutting agents during a raid on her home in Ago Palace.
Ezewuike, who runs a fashion house in Lagos, told investigators she inherited the trade from her late husband.
The agency also intercepted 90 parcels of Loud, a high-grade cannabis strain, concealed in cartons of kitchen sinks imported from the United States. The haul, weighing 48.6 kilogrammes, was seized at a Lagos courier company.
Across the country, NDLEA operatives reported a string of seizures and plantation destructions. In Adamawa, 354,480 tramadol pills were seized from the home of a fleeing dealer, while in Kano, five suspects were arrested with more than 450,000 opioid pills, including codeine syrup.
Agents in Kogi stopped a trafficker at Idah waterside with tramadol and injectable opioids, while on the Zaria-Kano road, another suspect was caught with 7,000 capsules of tramadol.
In Kwara, 2.2 tonnes of skunk were intercepted from three trucks, while in Delta and Ondo, joint operations destroyed over 50 tonnes of cannabis plantations. Edo and Taraba also recorded major busts.
The NDLEA said advocacy campaigns were held in schools and palaces as part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.
NDLEA chairman, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, commended officers for their “courage and professionalism”, urging them to sustain enforcement while deepening public education.
(Guardian)
